My Mind's Man Cave

Over the years I have accumulated tons of sports-related junk that would be great to display in a man-cave like finished basement. Our current house doesn’t have a basement, and there’s no space to display any more. Here is some of the loot…

1996 Olympic Torch. I actually have two 1996 torches, from Gary Indiana and Winston Salem North Carolina. It would be nice to create at least one shadow-box with the torch, torchbearer T-shirt, pennant, Coke bottle, and other memorabilia, and photos from the relay. The second torch could be displayed on a rack.

2002 Torch Relay Uniform: Another shadow-box with my purple 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics Torchbearer Escort uniform: jacket, warm-up pants, long sleeve tee, stocking cap, and gloves. I even have a white torchbearer T-shirt that can be displayed as well.  

1996 Olympics Memorabilia: I have enough other stuff from the Atlanta Olympics that could be put together in a frame: tickets, special Sports Illustrated covers, pennants, pins, T-shirt, NBC jacket, etc.

Grant Field: I have a huge old photo that needs to be framed. I like it because it shows the old south stands and façade, as well as the old north stands. Tech is playing Tennessee, back around 1980. I was at that game. An old photo is cooler than a recent Grant Field photo.

Atlanta Stadium photos: also needs to be framed. I have two large, landscape photos…one from a day game and one from a night game. Lots of people have large framed Turner Field photographs. I’d rather have one from the old stadium.

Will: a shadow-box with keepsakes from Will’s childhood: mainly baseball memorabilia, photos, and perhaps some artwork.

Anna’s shadow-box could be filled with ballet slippers and photos, as well as her artwork.

Matthew’s shadow-box would include his artwork, Legos, photos, ‘sand other little keepsakes.

While I’m at it, I could also piece together shadow-boxes for my high school football career (jersey, programs, photos, kicking shoe) and Ceil’s childhood (photographs, her old golf club, jewelry, etc).

The man-cave would have places to display the bobbleheads and baseballs currently on display in Matthew’s room, as well as my collection of old baseball and football helmets. There’s the binders full of Sports Illustrates dating back to the early 80’s, and at least a dozen six-packs of commemorative Coca-Cola bottles and cans. Baseball cards. Vintage baseball gloves and mitts. A closet could hold all my jerseys and sports-related jackets.

The older I get, the less desire I have to set up a man-cave. Will I ever get the chance? As the years go by, the chances seem to grow less likely. That’s why I’m starting to sell some of these items on eBay.